GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University volleyball team continues their season-long 4-match home-stand this weekend when they host long-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rivals Adams State and Fort Lewis on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.  Both matches are set for 7 p.m. in Brownson Arena.
 
Part of a 5-Way tie
 
After splitting last weekend's matches against now 11^th-ranked Regis (14^th at the time) and Chadron State, the Mavericks are 3-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play and part of a 5-way tie for third place.  Regis and No. 23 Colorado Mines lead the pack at 4-0.  Black Hills State, MSU Denver, UCCS and Colorado Christian are also 3-1 in conference play heading into Week No. 3 of the conference season.  Friday's opponent Adams State is 2-2 in RMAC play and would currently be the eighth and last seed for the RMAC Tournament.­­
 
Home, Sweet Home
 
Dating back to 2013, the Mavericks have gone 39-9 (.813) at home in Brownson Arena over that span.  The Mavericks have posted a winning record at home in each of the last five completed seasons (2012-16) and are 2-1 at home thus far in 2017.
 
Tough D
 
The Mavericks continue to pace the RMAC in opponent hitting percentage, holding their foes to a combined .131 percentage this season.  This mark is 33^rd best nationally.  The Mavericks have held their opponents below .100 an impressive seven times this campaign.
 
Dominance against Chadron State
 
In Saturday's dominant 3-set (25-13, 25-15, 25-13) win over Chadron State, the Mavericks hit .374 as a team, their best team attack percentage since Sept. 26, 2014 (.384 vs. Colorado Mines).  The Mavericks committed just seven attacking errors in the match as both Megan Gianinetti and Alyssa Chutka hit at a .533 clip while MacKenzie Edwards hit .458 with a match-high 13 kills.  Meanwhile, the Mavericks forced Chadron State into 19 hitting errors and a .034 hitting percentage.
 
Individuals also at the top
 
Two Maverick players also continue to top the RMAC statistics.  Junior libero Taylor Woods is averaging a conference-high 4.86 digs per set while senior Megan Gianinetti has tallied 23 service aces, an average of 0.53 per set to lead the conference in both categories.  She ranks 22^nd in the national statistics for total service aces and 25^th for her per set average.
 
Streaking towards the Top 5
 
Dating back to Oct. 14, 2016, Taylor Woods has reached double-figures for digs in 24 straight matches, including all 12 of this year.  She had 12 digs in both of last weekend's matches and has reached 20 or more digs in eight matches of the streak.  For her career, Woods has 1265 digs and is just 28 away from moving into CMU's top five for career digs.  Jenny Day is fifth on that list, tallying 1,293 in her 1988-91 career.  Amy Miller holds the record at 2,542.
 
Scouting the Grizzlies
 
The Adams State University Grizzlies will enter Friday's match with 6-7 overall and 2-2 RMAC records.  They dropped 3-set away matches at MSU Denver and UCCS last weekend after starting conference play with home wins over South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State.
 
The Grizzlies are led by senior middle blocker Mallorie Grimsrud, a 2-time First Team All-RMAC and 2017 Preseason All-RMAC selection.  She ranks amongst the RMAC's top five players in three different statistical categories, standing third in blocks, averaging 1.06 per set, fourth in hitting percentage at .364 and fifth in kills with 3.62 per set.  Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Goddard is ninth in kills (3.10/set) and sixth in service aces (0.35/set). 
 
Also ranked amongst the RMAC's top 10 is senior defensive specialist Gabrielle Timmen, who ranks fourth in digs with her 4.39 per set average, and senior setter Katelyn Schwartz, seventh with her 10.36-assist per set average.
 
Scouting the Skyhawks
 
Fort Lewis, which plays at Western State Colorado on Friday, is currently 6-6 overall and 1-3 in RMAC play after they also dropped 3-set matches at UCCS and MSU Denver last weekend.  They started RMAC play by splitting 5-set home matches with the two South Dakota schools after a respectable 5-3 non-conference start.
 
Skyhawk junior middle blocker Maddie LeBlanc ranks seventh in the RMAC with her .349 attack percentage and is second on the team with an even 100 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Bailey Longacre paces the squad with 109 kills and ranks fifth in the conference with her 1.05-block per set average.  Junior defensive specialist Megan Graefe is second in the RMAC in digs per set (4.60), while junior outside hitter Hannah Martinez is tied for seventh in service aces with her 0.34-per set average.  Meanwhile, junior setter Kendra Swackenburg in eighth in the RMAC for assists per set (8.98).
 
Series Histories
 
Friday's match will mark the first time since 2014, the last year of the RMAC's divisional scheduling format, that the Grizzlies will venture into Brownson Arena as each of the last three matches between the teams have been played in Alamosa.  The Mavericks have won two of those three and have also taken the last two and four of the last six in Grand Junction, dating back to 2009.
 
Fort Lewis has also not played in Grand Junction since 2014 and has not won in Brownson Arena since 2007, a span of seven straight Maverick home wins.  The Mavericks lead the all-time series 57-33-1 and have won four straight and 14 of the last 16 head-to-head matches since 2008.
 
Up Next
 
After this week's two matches, the Mavericks will begin a stretch of 4-straight away matches at CSU-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands on Oct. 6 and 7.